Clerk Error Lands Georgia Woman $25 Million in Powerball Jackpot

An initially unremarkable mistake proved fortuitous for one lucky lady.

Kathy Scruggs, of Lithonia, Ga., has won a $25 million Powerball grand prize, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The 44-year-old Scruggs has been unemployed since her seasonal job ended this spring, and months of looking for work have still left her empty-handed.

Scruggs requested a Mega Millions ticket when she stopped at a Shell Food Mart in Decatur, but the clerk inadvertently gave her a Powerball ticket. The agreeable Scruggs didn’t correct the mistake; she simply purchased an additional Mega Millions ticket.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are 1 in 195,249,054, but the night after the drawing, Scruggs discovered that the her Powerball numbers matched. She proceeded to wake up her entire household with shrieks of joy.

The store clerk, Baljit Suddan, cannot recall this specific sale, but was happy for Scruggs in remarks she made to CNN: “Sometimes it happens. They ask for something, and by mistake [we] give them something [else]…It was a blessing for her.”

An ecstatic Scruggs plans to purchase a car, provide for her family, and do some traveling. “I’m going to build my mom and grandmother a home. That’s my first focus,” she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She also hopes to start a charity to help the homeless and provide dental services to the needy.

Scruggs chose the cash lump sum option and will rake in $15,124,017 before taxes.